Holy shite, that was a big-ass facking snake...

[mistermack]

That looks a big croc. But the camera can lie. Those people are well behind the croc.

This is what a real big snake looks like :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsNnDWKh ... creen&NR=1[/youtube]

And one in action :

[Gawdzilla Sama]

That looks a big croc. But the camera can lie. Those people are well behind the croc.

Yep, forced perspective. That's why the smiley is there.

[FBM]

In the documentary Ronja linked, they're careful to say that the anaconda is the "heaviest" snake in the world, not the longest. That means they are thicker through the middle per given length, I think.

[Ronja]

mistermack, this Reuters report states that the researchers had also found fossilized ribs http://uk.reuters.com/article/2009/02/0 ... K320090204 and this pretty extensive blog post shows a picture of such a rib http://www.science20.com/news_releases/ ... gest_snake

Now how can the estimates of how thick the animal was be seriously off, if they had both vertebrae and ribs (and finally even scull bones - see the Smithsonian's documentary)?

I'm sure the scientists' estimates wouldn't be seriously off. But that hasn't stopped the people who made the model from producing a ludicrous exaggeration. It just irritates me that someone can do that. It takes it into the realms of Disney, rather than science.

The artist's impression is a lot nearer what a real snake would look like, but even that is much thicker in proportion to it's length than a real boa, or anaconda.

So you didn't watch the Smithsonian's documentary, then? 'Cause if you had, you would have known that the crock-eating model was commissioned by the scientists who made the discovery and they gave exact details to the model maker, and were pleased with the result. You can also check what one of the scientists on the team said to CNN:

Geologist David Polly, who identified the position of the fossil vertebrae which made a size estimate possible, said in a statement Wednesday: "At its greatest width, the snake would have come up to about your hips. The size is pretty amazing.

For comparison, an average cow weighs half a ton. In my estimation, there is half a ton of snake, just in the bit lifted off the floor. The whole thing would be AT LEAST five tons on that scale.

By all means send your estimation details to Nature. They welcome comments, and the article has already prompted lively discussion about the temperature estimate based on the snake's size. You can find those comments via the article's abstract page (the Brief Communication Arising links at the top) http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v4 ... 07671.html

[mistermack]

Just use your own eyes. How many cows do YOU think would be needed to make this one snake?

[FBM]

How many dinosaurs? Not many. Reptiles don't have to feed all that often, compared to mammals. Slow metabolisms...

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Just use your own eyes. How many cows do YOU think would be needed to make this one snake?

One.

[Robert_S]

Just use your own eyes. How many cows do YOU think would be needed to make this one snake?

One.

They're getting a bit rowdy there. I think the situation calls for a cop and some pepper spray.

[Svartalf]

Just use your own eyes. How many cows do YOU think would be needed to make this one snake?

One.

They're getting a bit rowdy there. I think the situation calls for a cop and some pepper spray.

Silly, they are obviously after a main course, not some tiny snack.

[mistermack]

Nice to see seagulls fluttering around T Rex there.
That photo must have been taken at Jurassic Park. I knew they were lying when they told me it didn't really exist.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Nice to see seagulls fluttering around T Rex there.
That photo must have been taken at Jurassic Park. I knew they were lying when they told me it didn't really exist.

That's a NatGeo pix to pump Paul Soreno's BigAssGaterasaurus video.

[FBM]

That would be a big-ass facking gator, if it ever existed.

Here is a big-ass facking croc, tho.

Sarcosuchus555.jpg (36.05 KiB) Viewed 1507 times

[Gawdzilla Sama]

That's the one Soreno found in the desert of North Africa.

[FBM]

It's a big-ass facking one, I'll give you that. A fight between it and the snake would be something to see...from a distance.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

It's a big-ass facking one, I'll give you that. A fight between it and the snake would be something to see...from a distance.

With my luck the fight would be in a phone booth, while I was on the phone.